Wednesday, February 18, 2009

NYPD still harrassing photographers

In the map of New York’s most forsaken places, it would be hard to top the Freeman Street stop on the No. 2 line in the Bronx, late on a February afternoon. Around 4:30 last Thursday, Robert Taylor stood on the station’s elevated platform, taking a picture of a train.

“A few buildings in place,” he noted. “Nice little cloud cover overhead. I usually use them as wallpaper on my computer.”

Finished with his camera, Mr. Taylor, 30, was about to board the train when a police officer called to him. He stepped back from the train.

“The cop wanted my ID, and I showed it to him,” Mr. Taylor said. “He told me I couldn’t take the pictures. I told him that’s not true, that the rules permitted it. He said I was wrong. I said, ‘I’m willing to bet your paycheck.’ ”

Mr. Taylor was right. The officer was enforcing a nonexistent rule. And if recent experience is any guide, one paycheck won’t come close to covering what a wrongful arrest in this kind of case could cost the taxpayers.

23 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The police are put in a no-win situation. Let everyone take pictures and some pictures will be taken by terrorists, let no one take pictures and legitimate artists and news-photographers cannot make a living, let some take pictures and then claims of racism and favoritism will ring out.

In many foreign countries you can be arrested on the spot for taking pictures of police barracks and military installations. This has been common since long before 911. If you travel, ask for guidance before you start taking pictures of anything other than trees.

NO, but if you are doing something they deem wrong they can bring you in, many people think they can get hauled in for loittering but there needs to be a reason for the cop to suspect you are loitering with intent to commit a crime. There is no constitutional rationale just post 9/11 fear

I had a similar situationphotographing the rear of a building at the end of Davis Street near the Court House Square #7 stop and was confronted by State Police.

I was extremely courteous and explained my artistic intent and willingly offered my ID (moving very slowly after asking for permission to enter my pocket).

After explaing to one officer that I was permitted to take photos in any public place he got huffy (as insecure cops will often do) and said, "Are you telling me the law"?

I responded by saying, "No, I'm just telling you that I know myrights under the law".

After indicating that he could seize my camera I explained that it just came out of the repair shop a week ago and that I would expect it to be returned to me in good condition if that was to be the case.

I further let them know that I had just returned from a medical examand that I was on my way to another(should they have considered a more exotic use for their batons).

One cop faltered for a moment mumbling that everyone is very concerned since 9/11 occurred. I nodded that I agreed with him.

I informed the officers that if they had any problem with me that they could cuff me and take me in.

I even politely offered them my outstretched hands.

They backed off, probably knowing that would require them to bring me to Penn Station where their barracks are located and put their 2 man car out of commission leaving the train yard completely unguarded.

To be a good sport I let them know that I had contributed $800 worth of my art to an auction benefiting 9/11 emergency responders.

We parted on good terms.

I guess that arresting a senior citizen wasn't going to look good to their commander, my lawyer or the NYC press corps!

Advice:

Step #1.Always address any cop as officerso and so (read his name tag).That shows respect and makes them immediately more calm and respectful of you. Calling a cop by his name also shows him you're no fool from the get-go.

Step #2.Stay cool and observant andtreat them as fearful children under pressure but don't let them catch on that you're patronizing them in any way. Sarcasm gets you no where with the uniformed services.

Subway backpack checks. Have you ever seen one of these pathetic set-ups? A couple of cops randomly stopping people in order to appear 'busy".

If terrorists were intent on blowing up something in a subway station they would have over 400 to choose from. They would most likely sen in Mohammad#1 as a scout and if a checkpoint was sighted, he would simply tell Mohammad #2 to board at a prior station.

If cops ever approached an actual terrorist, they would probably detonate their charge killing everyone nearby -including the police.

It's the same make-work-overtime that you see at the Astoria Blvd entrance to the Tri-borough bdge. They stopped cars for "inspection' -while hundreds speed by from the Grand Central pkwy.

I wonder how "pathetic" it really is. It does keep the terrorists guessing.

Have you ever seen the immense mobilization of police cars in Manhattan on exercise? Usually around the 42nd St.-UN area. Maybe 30-40 cars in a row with their lights flashing. Moving from one venue to the next.

It reminds me of the sailing of the Great White Fleet at the end of Teddy Roosevelt's term in office.

"I wonder how "pathetic" it really is. It does keep the terrorists guessing."

It's just for show. They have been doing these actions for 7 years and found..nothing. Use some common sense here.

The -only- effective way to deter/stop terrorist plotshere is to infiltrate Islamic organizations (mosques, coffee houses etc) get -legal- wiretaps and keeping up contacts within various communities.

I'am reasonably sure the NYPD does these, but the stop-search is just for show.

"Have you ever seen the immense mobilization of police cars in Manhattan"

I live a block and a half from the Met Museum. Every fall we have events there with "dignitaries' -the cops have Con-ed weld the manholes, set up phone lines and watchtowers, they often put snipers on rooftops. What they can't do is search the apartments along the way. There will always be an element of risk in a free society. Those motorcades are, again mostly show, the real protection comes from bullet/explosion resistant vehicles.

We are wasting -alot- of money just to show the public that "something" is being done. The important stuff can't be shown.

I tazered for on Main Mall during the US Open by the LIRR pathway.(taking photos of the Unisphere and its fountains that run 2 weeks a year)

I started arguing with the cop and before you knew it had 4 on top of me.They hauled me into the trailor and took my media card. Then forced me to stay seated till some paramedic cheked me out. They later tried to use my media card with a whole 3 photos against me.

You cant have whatever some rookie or MTA bootjacker wishes to call a "professionl camera" or a tripod"

Cost me $500 for a lawyer who was a friend of mine to get it dropped to a $75 ticket.

-"I wonder how "pathetic" it really is. It does keep the terrorists guessing."

I agree with George. Not every measure is designed to find a bomb. But it is necessary for law enforcement to show a presence. It has a deterrence factor. It forces groups to change plans, keeps them guessing and keeps them on the move.

"It's just for show. They have been doing these actions for 7 years and found..nothing. Use some common sense here."

And there have been no terror attacks either. Your words could be spun to support the program.

I realize and agree that taking pics is, and should remain to be legal in the subways. I dont think that people who do so should be harassed at all if they show no other signs of bein a danger.

But this resistance to allowing searches of the bags of those entering a subway is silly. I was over the past couple of years, taken aside and searched separately 7 trips in a row at airports. Big friggin deal.

Maspethian, in his tortured logic, believes that transforming NYC into a police state will deter terrorists. How foolish and un-American! Where's the evidence that bag checks work? How can the police check each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of subway riders to ensure that there's no one carrying a bomb during the average rush hour commute? This Bushian dog and pony show wastes tax payer dollars and does not make us any safer.

Answer: Yes. I think even suicide bombers are logical. They want to maximize the number of people they kill. If you prevent them from entering a crowded subway platform then objective achieved.

Blowing yourself up for god is logical? and if you create a bottleneck of people getting search they'll kill more people than on the platform because the explosion will be in a contained area. The same is true at an airport, they don't need to take down a plane just cause fear

using "no attacks" as evidence that bag searches work is just like picking up a twig from the ground and selling it as a bear deterrent.

"A stick you say?""Yes...do you see a bear attacking us?""no""So you can see how well it works.""I'll take two!"

---

Another thing that grinds my gears is frequently seeing 2-3 overweight-to-obese officers at Grand Central's 7 platform schmoozing and then one of them sticks their head into a stopped cart (usually the end or front) and thinks to themselves, "I wonder if my mother's here? oop, guess not." I feel so safe knowing that nothing can happen to me when standing in the last three cars of the 7-line. Heaven forbid that they patrol that platform at all...as though there weren't and people scaring the tourists right by the middle of the station with forcible charity and fake schizophrenic mumblings.

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